Garment with interchangeable indicia



Feb. 3, 1959 c. c. GRECO 2,871,485

GARMENT WITH INTERCHANGEABLE INDICIA Filed June 11, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. Charles C. Greco ATTORNEY Feb. 3, 1959 c. c. GRECO 2,871,485

GARMENT WI TH INTERCHANGEABLE INDICIA Filed June 11; 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I I l I I I I I I I I l I I INVENTOR.

BY Charles C. Greco ATTORNEY United. States This invention relates to garments such as shirts, jackets and the like. More particularly, it relates to such a garment provided with readily interchangeable indicia such as monograms.

Somemore expensive shirts, jackets and the like are provided with personal monograms at selected locations such as an edge, a pocket, or a collar, for example. Usually such monograms comprise the owners initials. However, there are many occasions when a wearer would like to display specialized insignia such as fraternal insignia, club insignia or profession or avocation insignia such as yachting, flying, or equestrian devices. In the usual present case, this change cannot be made as the insignia or monograms are stitched immovably to the garment. Hence, to make such a change in the monogram or insignia displayed requires an extra garment.

Further, it is sometimes desirable to remove monograms and the like for laundering or dry cleaning the garment to prevent fading, running, shrinking and the like. All these factors create a demand for a garment in which the monogram or insignia can be readily changed.

In accordance with the present invention, interchangeability of monograms or other insignia is provided by forming a garment with one or more front opening pockets, recesses or windows having an opening somewhat smaller than the overall size of the monogram or insignia and side edges or lips overlying the edge or edges of the monogram and forming peripheral recesses. The latter is merely set into the pocket or window and is heldtherein by the overlying margins or lips. The monograms or insignia may thus be readily removed and replaced if and when desired.

In a preferred form of the invention, an elongated pocket is formed in one edge of the buttonable or fastenable part of the garment and is provided with one or more openings or windows. In this case two or more monograms or insigna are joined end to end, and the pocket is suliiciently long to allow longitudinal movement of the strip so that any monogram or monograms joined in the strip may be selectively displayed. Thus, for displaying a three component monogram, three spaced openings are provided, and two or more three component monograms are joined in one strip. If there are two monograms to be selectively displayed, the corresponding components of the two monograms are secured in alternation in the strip, and the spaces between the Windows equal the length or height of a component. Thus, by shifting the strip longitudinally one space, an entirely different three-component monogram may be displayed at will.

In both the single and multiple monogram embodiments, the display may be changed by merely reversing the monogram or insignia insert.

For an understanding of the invention principles, reference is made to the following descriptions of typical embodiments thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

atent Fig. 1 is a plan view of a shirt front embodying one form of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 with the monogram strip shifted to change the display;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of one side or face of the monogram or insignia strip of Fig. 1; I

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the single interchangeable insert embodiment incorporated in a shirt collar;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view on the line 66 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a plan view of one face of the monogram of Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the opposite face thereof; and

Figs. 9 and 10 are views illustrating the embodiment of Fig. 4 as applied to a shirt from and a shirt cuff, respectively.

Referring to Figs. 1-4, a garment such as a shirt 10 is illustrated as having a free edge 11 having button holes 12 engageable with buttons 13 on a second free edge 14 to close the garment. The free edge 11 is folded to form four layers of material joined by a stitched seam 16, the two underlayers forming a double thickness edge in which buttonholes 12 are formed.

For a portion of the length of edge 11, a folded over strip 15 is inserted between the two outer thicknesses of material and forms a pocket or guide for monogram strip 25. Guide section 15 is joined into edge 11 by the seam 16 closing its free inner edges. At longitudinally spaced portions along edge 11, the outer layer 17 of free edge 11 and the outer layer 18 of guide insert 15 are conformingly cut to form windows or pockets 20, the cut edges of layer 17 being folded back and stitched to the cut edges of insert layer 18 as at 21.

The elongated guide tube formed by strip 15 receives the monogram strip 25 comprising monogram pieces or inserts 25A and 25B stitched together in alternation, as best seen in Fig. 4. Strip or tube 15 extends beyond the upper and lower windows or pockets 20 by an amount of the order of the height or length of an insert 25A or 2513, and its ends are closed by stitching to the inner layers or folds of edge 11. The spacing between pockets or windows 20 is, furthermore substantially equal to the height or length of the inserts 25A and 25B.

Monogram strip 25 is positioned in guide tube 15 by inserting the strip 25 through one of the uppermost or lowermost windows 20, and the strip may be withdrawn through such window. When so inserted, strip 25 is longitudinally displaceable by an amount equal to the height or length of an insert 25A or 25B. Hence, by moving strip 25 in one direction, monogram inserts 25A are displayed in windows 20, as shown in Fig. 1, and, by moving strip 25 in the opposite direction, monogram inserts 25B are displayed in pockets or windows 20 as shown in Fig. 3.

The monogram strip is also reversible and may carry two sets of monograrns on its reverse face. Thus, with a single strip, four different monogram sets may be selectively displayed.

As best seen in Fig. 4, one monogram set may be initials, and the other set may comprise indicia indicative of an avocation or hobby such as yachting, or may comprise fraternal or society insignia, school or college insignia, or any desired insignia.

Figs. 5 through 8 illustrate a single interchangeable monogram insert 35 as arranged for display on the collar 31 of a shirt 32. Collar 31, as in the usual case, comprises two or more layers of fabric. The outer layer 33 is cut to form a window or opening 30, with the edges of the fabric folded inwardly and seamed, its at 34, to define the insert receiving pocket.

As shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the insert 35 may have a In Fig. 9 a single monogram insert 45 is shown as dis played in a pocket or window '48 in the outer layer of material 43 of a pocket 41 of a shirt or the like 42. This arrangement, except for its location, is identical with that of Figs. -8. Similarly, in Fig. 10, a single monogram insert 55 is displayed in a pocket 55 in the outer layer of material 53 of a cuff 51 of a shirt or the like 52. 3 While the windows or pockets have been illustrated as rectangular or square, it should be understood that this configuration is exemplary only. For example, the windows or pockets may be round, oval, diamond shape, or any desired configuration. In the preferred embodiment, the edge or edges of the outer layer of material around the window are turned under to form a stitched hem about A inch wide.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the invention principles, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.

What is claimed is:

1. A jacket or shirt type garment having a free fastenable edge at which the material is folded and seamed to provide at least a double thickness of material including an outer layer and an inner layer adjacent said outer layer, the outer layer being formed with a series of uniformly spaced longitudinally aligned openings; the material of such outer layer along the longitudinal sides of each opening being turned under and stitched to the outer layer of material, and stitched to the inner layer of material along the longitudinal portions of the periphery of each opening, to define plural open face pockets each having an opening bounded along its longitudinal edges by a hem defining inwardly opening peripheral recesses along such longitudinal edges of the periphery of the opening; and plural fabric inserts secured together to form an insert strip, each insert having an indicia on at least one surface thereof, the indicia differing from each other; the insert strip being inserted through one of said openings for longitudinal movement relative to said openings between the inner and outer layers of material with the edges of the strip guided in said peripheral recesses; and each insert being exposable through an opening; the spacing of said pockets being substantially equal to the length of the inserts along the insert strip whereby the indicia displayed through the openings may be changed by longitudinal adjustment of the insert strip relative to the openings.

2. A jacket shirt type garment as claimed in claim 1 including a folded fabric strip inserted between the inner and outer layers of the outer flap with its free longitudinal edges seamed conjointly with said layers to form a flat tube; said folded strip having openings in its outer layer conforming to the openings in the outer flap and peripherally stitched to the turned under edges of the outer layer of the outer flap and acting as a guide for said insert strip.

3. A jacket shirt type garment as claimed in claim 2 in which there are three open face pockets and six fabric inserts joined into the insert strip.

4. A jacket shirt type garment as claimed in claim 3 in which the fabric inserts have indicia on both surfaces whereby the indicia display may be varied by turning the insert strip over to expose its opposite surface.

References (Iited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,023,632 Fantl Apr. 16, 1912 1,467,680 Oda Sept. 11, 1923 1,627,624 Traub May 10, 1927 1,897,341 Staufert Feb. 14, 1933 2,589,409 Leichter Mar. 18, 1952 2,671,902 Grue Mar. 16, 1954 2,672,615 Itri Mar. 23, 1954 

